7th Street Bridge Opens October 9, One Month Ahead Of Schedule
October 9,2013
Photo courtesy: Brian Luenser
START YOUR ENGINES!
7th STREET BRIDGE OPENING IN TIME FOR EVENING COMMUTE ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9
City Celebrates with First Drive Ceremony at 5:05 p.m.
Streams & Valleys Announces Public Celebration for November 15 & 16
“SPANNING 100 YEARS: THE 7th STREET BRIDGE CELEBRATION, 1913-2013”
Local Dignitaries to Participate in Official Bridge Lighting & Festival of Final Completion
FORT WORTH, TX – Commuters rejoice! The 7th Street Bridge is opening for regular traffic on Wednesday, October 9 at 5:05 p.m., just in time for the evening drive and almost one month ahead of an aggressive schedule. While the finishing touches – including lighting and pedestrian walkways – will not be complete until November, the bridge will be ready and waiting on Thursday morning to welcome drivers for returned easy access between the Cultural & Camp Bowie Districts and Downtown Fort Worth.
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
“First Drive Ceremony”
Wednesday, October 9
5:05 p.m. – Dignitaries provide first drive; lanes open to public immediately after the brief “parade”
4:30 to 5 p.m. – Interview opportunities
West Side of 7th Street Bridge – Please park in Trinity Park parking lot, across from Chuy’s Restaurant.
VISUALS/INTERVIEWS
• Mayor Pro-Tem Zim Zimmerman – City of Fort Worth
• Councilman Joel Burns – City of Fort Worth, District 9
• Bill Meadows – Former Commissioner of TxDOT and S&V Advisory Committee Member
• Randy Gideon – Board President of Streams & Valleys
The first vehicles across the bridge are in celebration of the collaborative partners participating in the public bridge celebration, scheduled for November 15 and 16 and hosted by Streams & Valleys. Partners include the City of Fort Worth, the Cultural District Alliance, Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., Fort Worth Bike Sharing, Mayfest, the Tarrant Regional Water District, Texas Department of Transportation and the Trinity River Vision Authority.
A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CELEBRATION
On November 15 and 16, the “Spanning 100 Years: The 7th Street Bridge Celebration, 1913-2013” will:
• Celebrate the completion of the 7th Street Bridge and its 100-year anniversary.
• Highlight Fort Worth's storied past and the one-of-a-kind bridge construction.
• Emphasize the extraordinary collaboration between the city, state and community stakeholders that made it all possible.
“This is a unique project worthy of a unique celebration and the bridge metaphor couldn't be more apt,” said Mayor Betsy Price. “In Fort Worth, we build bridges between the city and government entities, between economic hotbeds in our city and between generations of Fort Worth citizens and leaders. This is our chance to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 7th Street bridge with a once-in-a-lifetime event.”
THE OFFICIAL LIGHTING CEREMONY
Friday, November 15 from 7 to 11 p.m.
On Friday night, the bridge will become “The Seven Nightclub” and feature seven bars serving a variety of heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer. Mayor Price will “flip the switch” and turn on the signature bridge lighting for the very first time and the pedestrian walkways will open. In keeping with the “Spanning 100 Years” theme, guests will enjoy live dance music from the past century, ranging from the roaring twenties to the swinging sixties, speakeasy to sock hop, swing to disco. Guests can dress in costumes from any era or wear their nightclub chic attire and comfortable shoes. The evening finale will be a dazzling fireworks display and champagne toast. Sponsorships are still available – please contact Stacey Pierce at 817.926.0006. A limited number of individual event tickets can be purchased beginning November 1 at www.streamsandvalleys.org.
7th STREET FESTIVAL, PARADE AND DEDICATION
Saturday, November 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
On Saturday, the community is invited to the 7th Street Festival, Parade and Dedication. Beginning at 10 AM, people of all ages can enjoy family-friendly activities on the north side of the bridge. The parade will start at 10:30 AM, west of the bridge at Staton Street, travel into downtown and conclude on the east of the bridge. It will feature the many modes of transportation that have utilized the bridge from 1913 until today, and may include The Fort Worth Herd, covered wagons, horses, classic cars and jalopies, motorcycles, military personnel and vehicles, 1960s-70s themed vehicles, strolling musicians, marching bands and other musical groups. At the conclusion of the parade, Mayor Price will lead a group of cyclists over the bridge, representing the future, and join other community leaders to participate in the official ribbon cutting and dedication of “The Van Zandt Viaduct.”
ABOUT THE 7th STREET BRIDGE – INNOVATIVE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
The West 7th Street Bridge originally opened in 1913 and was renamed the Van Zandt Viaduct in 1922 as a tribute to a Fort Worth pioneer, Major Khleber Miller Van Zandt.
Now, 100 years later, the $25 million bridge is the only one of its kind in the world: a pre-cast concrete structure that measures 981 feet long and 81 feet wide. It was the brainchild of TxDOT engineer Dean Van Landuyt. The massive pieces were designed in a 3-D computer model and built on the banks of the Trinity River. The innovative design and construction minimized traffic and lane closures, allowing the bridge to open in 4 short months, instead of a full year.
A major thoroughfare connecting Downtown and the Cultural District, the new bridge features twelve arches with signature lighting, offers scenic views of the Trinity River and intersects with trails on either side. The design uses network arches in a different manner than any other project, includes a nod to Fort Worth history and is also forward-looking. It has four lanes and offers new travel options for pedestrians/bicycles outside the arches. The bridge also has space to accommodate alternative modes of transportation in the future.
“These days, most political stories focus on gridlock and the lack of progress,” said Bill Meadows, former TxDOT commissioner and member of the S&V Advisory Board. “This bridge came about because of the great partnership between the City and TxDOT. We are grateful to our community partners and friends for helping us host an event that will give our community a chance to celebrate a state-of-the-art infrastructure improvement and landmark gateway."
"This project is historic in many ways and serves as a metaphor for the way we do business in Fort Worth," said Randy Gideon, president of the S&V Board. "We hope the celebration will remind all of us – those who have done business here for years and those who are following in their footsteps – of one of the primary reasons for our success."
ABOUT STREAMS & VALLEYS
Streams & Valleys was formed to save the Trinity River after the flooding and levee construction of the ’40s and ’50s had reduced it to a garbage dump. Today, more than 47 miles of river trails and 8,000 new trees later, Streams & Valleys is still the only nonprofit organization committed to saving, sharing and celebrating the Trinity River through recreation enhancements, beautification efforts, public recognition, volunteer recruiting, fundraising, development and event programming.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Julie Hatch, (817) 919-7648, ccjhatch@sbcglobal.net
Stacey Pierce, (817) 688-4123, Stacey@streamsandvalleys.org
Jodi Hodges, (817) 370-6737, Jodi.hodges@txdot.gov
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